Love is a common feeling for all ages and nations, whether you are from China, Vietnam or Russia. Every language has its own way to express deep feelings for our loved ones by using sweet, little nicknames.

 

So, how do we do this in Russian? Let’s find it out!

 

Любимая/ый, Возлюбленная/ый/

 

This means “beloved/beloved one.” These two words actually have almost the same meaning; we use Возлюбленная/ый if we have just started to love someone (for a day, a week or a month for example) and Любимая/ый if we already love them.  

 

Here are some examples of these words in use:

 

  • Любимая/ый, я больше не в силах ждать, я лечу к тебе на крыльях любви! (Beloved! I can’t wait any longer, I am flying to you with the wings of love!)
  • Любимая/ый, давай же никогда больше не расставаться! (Beloved one, let’s never ever be apart!)
  • Любимая/ый, ты прекрасна/прекрасен! (Beloved, you are amazing!)
  • Возлюбленная/ый моя/мой, наконец-то мы встретились! (My beloved, we have finally met each other!)

 

Дорогая/дорогой

 

This means “sweetheart/darling.” This word is very meaningful, and is used when we want to say something that really comes from the heart.

 

Here are some examples of the word in use:

 

  • Дорогая/ой, мы будем ужинать? (Darling, shall we have supper?)
  • Дорогая/ой, я считаю минуты до встречи с тобой! (I'm counting the minutes until I see you!)
  • Дорогая/ой, это очень дорогая машина,  давай не станем ее покупать! (Darling, this is a very expensive car. Let’s not buy it!)
    • Here you can see that the word Дорогая has two different meanings: “darling” if we are talking about a woman and “expensive” if we are talking about a price.

 

Милая/ый

 

This means “honey.” This word indicates that a particular person is very good for us and our heart.

 

Here are some examples of the word in use:

 

  • Что ты хочешь рассказать мне, милая? (What do you want to tell me, honey?)
  • Милая/ый, нам больше не зачем скрывать свои чувства! (Honey, we don’t need to hide our feelings anymore!)

 

Родная

 

This also means “darling,” but it’s more for people who are like family. Usually, we use this word if the person is either very dear to our heart or one of our relatives.

 

Here are some examples of the word in use:

 

  • Родная/ой, что может быть прекрасней, чем видеть тебя здесь! (Darling, what could be better than to see you here!)
  • Родная/ой, мы часть одной семьи! (Darling, we are a part of one family!)

 

Хорошая/хороший

 

This means “good,” and refers to a woman, girl, man or boy. We use it to attract our beloved's attention. By using these words, we are letting them know that we think they are a good person.

 

Here are some examples of the word in use:

 

  • Хорошая/ий, закрой дверь, холодно! (Honey, close the door please, it’s cold here!)
  • Что ты, хорошая, говоришь? (What did you say, sweetheart?)

 

Девочка моя

 

This means “my little girl.” In Russia, men always talk to their partners tenderly, as if they were very little!

 

Here are some examples of the word in use:

 

  • Девочка моя, почему ты плачешь? (My little girl, why are you crying?)
  • Девочка моя, расскажи мне, что случилось. (My little girl, tell me what has happened.)

 

Малышка/Малыш

 

This means “baby.” We call our loved ones this to show them that we will take care of them just as we would a little baby (this is typically used by a man to a woman; women seldom talk to men in such a manner).

 

Here are some examples of the word in use:

 

  • Малышка, чем хочешь заняться сегодня? (What do you want to do today, baby?)
  • Малыш, ты уверен/а, что тебе можно пить кофе? (My baby, are you sure that you’re allowed to drink coffee?)

 

Моя/ мой + adj.

 

You can also create a nickname for your beloved by using the pronoun Моя/Мой followed by any adjective you prefer!

 

Here are some examples of how to use it:

 

  • Моя/й ненаглядная/ый! (My darling!)
  • Моя/й единственная/ый! (My only!)
  • Моя/й неповторимая/ый! (My unique!)
  • Моя/й прекрасная/ый! (My beautiful!)
  • Моя/й хорошая/ый! (My darling!)
  • Моя/й дорогая/ый! (My darling!)
  • Моя/й милая/ый! (My honey!)
  • Моя/й любимая/ый! (My beloved!)
  • Моя/й нежная/ый! (Мy gentle!)
  • Моя/й добрая/ый! (My good girl/boy!)

 

Сладкая/ий

 

This means “sweet.” By calling our loved ones this, we show them that they’re a sweet person, and we appreciate this!

 

Here are some examples of the word in use:

 

  • Сладкая/сладкий, что ты хочешь на обед? (Sweetie, what do you want for lunch?)
  • Сладкая, ты мне нравишься! (I like you, sweetie!)

 

Animal Names

 

In Russian, we sometimes refer to our loved ones as sweet, little animals.

 

Some examples of the possible words you can use are:

 

  • Зайчонок (a leveret)
  • котенок (a kitty)
  • рыбка/рыбешка (a little fish)
  • тигрица (a little tigress)

 

Here are some examples of how to use words like this in a sentence:

 

  • Котенок, я пришел домой. Поужинаем? (I’m home, Kitty. Shall we have supper?)
  • Рыбка моя, я – твое море! (My darling, if you were a fish I would be your sea!)

 

In this article, we have discussed at least ten nicknames that we can use for our loved ones in the Russian language. I hope that everyone who has read this can take something useful away from it. From now on, you’ll know exactly how to talk to your beloved in Russian!

 

So, how do you talk to loved ones in your language? Share it in the comments below!

 

Image Sources

 

Hero Image by Jeff Kubina (CC BY-SA 2.0)